K. Satchidanandan (born 28 May 1946) is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of Indian Literature journal and the former secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He is also social advocate for secular anti-caste views, supporting causes like environment, human rights and free software and is a well known speaker on issues concerning contemporary Indian literature. He is the festival director of Kerala Literature Festival.
Life and career Koyamparambath Satchidanandan was born in 1946 in Pulloot, a village in Kodungallur in the Thrissur District of Kerala.
After his early education in a village school, he was graduated in biology from the Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and had his Masters in English from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. He obtained his PhD in post-structuralist poetics from the University of Calicut. He joined as a lecturer in English at K.K.T.M. Govt. College, Pulloot in 1968, and moved to Christ College, Irinjalakuda, in 1970 where he became a professor of English. He voluntarily retired from this post in 1992 to take up the editorship of Indian Literature, the English journal of the Indian National Academy in Delhi. In 1996 he was nominated Secretary, the chief executive, of the academy, a post from which he retired in 2006. Later he served as a Consultant to the Indian Government's Department of Higher Education and to the National Translation Mission. He also worked as Director, School of Translation Studies and Training at the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi. He edited 'The Katha Library of Indian Literature', 'The Library of South Asian Literature' and Beyond Borders, a journal of South Asian literature and ideas.
Satchidanandan's literary career began with the publication of 'Kurukshetram', a collection of essays on poetry (1970) and 'Anchusooryan', a collection of poems (1971). Since then he has published several books of poetry, criticism, plays, travelogues and translations of poetry and plays and edited several magazines like 'Jwala', 'Uttaram' and 'Pachakkutira' besides many anthologies of poetry and essays in Malayalam, English, Hindi and Slovenian. He has represented India at several national and international literary events like Valmiki World Poetry Festival (Delhi,1985), Sarajevo Poetry Days (1985), Festival of India in the USSR (1988), Printemps des Poetes, France (2003), Berlin Literary Festival (2005), Frankfurt Book fair (2005, 2006), Paris Book fair (2007), Jaipur International Literary Festival (2008, 9, 10, 11,12), London Book fair (2009), Indo-Arab Literary Festival, Abu Dhabi (2008), Blue Metropolis Literary Festival, Montreal (20110, Hay Festival, Trivandrum, 2011) Rotterdam Poetry Festival (2012), Medellin Poetry Festival (2013), Festival of India in Latin America (2013), Sharjah Book fair (2013) and Vilenica Literary Festival, Slovenia (2014, 2015). This is besides readings in Lahore, Manchester, Dubai, Damascus, Aleppo, Bonn, Rome, Madrid, Avila, Segovia and all major cities in India. One of the most widely anthologised and translated of modern poets in India, he has 32 books of poems in 18 languages. He was given the Indo-Polish Friendship Medal by the Government of Poland in 2005 and the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006. He was in the Ladbroke list of Nobel probables in 2011. A film on him, 'Summer Rain' was released in 2007.
Satchidanandan is a National Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study, Simla. He co-edits two on-line journals, Guftugu and 1 Over the 8th. His poems appeared in many prestigious poetry anthologies like Anthology of Contemporary Indian Poetry, The Dance of the Peacock.
He worked from 1996 to 2006, as the secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He returned to teaching after retiring from Sahitya Akademi, and worked as Director and Professor of the School of Translation Studies and Training at the Indira Gandhi National Open University in New Delhi until 2011.cite web|title="Poetry International": Profile Poet K Satchidanandan|url=http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/2723/27/K-Satchidanandan
Satchidanandan is married, and has two daughters.
Awards and honours Academic awards
1984: Kerala Sahitya Akademi C.B. Kumar Award for Prose for Kavitayum Janatayum 1989: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry for Ivanekkoodi 1999: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama -for Gandhi 2000: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Travelogue for Pala Lokam Pala Kaalam 2009: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation for Padinjaran Kavithakal 2010: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship 2012: Sahitya Akademi Award for Marannu Vecha Vasthukkal
Other major awards and fellowships
1990: Srikant Verma Fellowship, Govt of Madhya Pradesh. 1993: Oman Cultural Centre Award, Oman. 1997: Mahakavi P. Kunjiraman Nair Award, Kerala. 1998: Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award, Kolkata 1999: Senior Research Fellowship, Govt of India 2001: Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, Chennai. 2002: Baharain Keraleeya Samajam Award, Baharain 2002: Gangadhar Meher Award, Sambalpur, Orissa 2005: Pandlam Keralavarma Award, Kerala 2005: Bappu Reddy National Award, Andhra Pradesh. 2005: Vayalar Award, Kerala 2007: K. Kuttikrishnan Award, Kerala 2008: Subramanya Shenoi Award, Kerala 2009: Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan Award, Kuwait 2009: N T Rama Rao National Award, Andhra Pradesh 2009: Birla Fellowship for Comparative Literature, Delhi 2009: Padmaprabha Award, Kerala 2010: C P Menon Award, Kerala 2012: Kusumagraj National Award, Maharashtra 2012: Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishad Award 2013: Kamala Surayya Award, Dubai 2014: Kuvempu National Award, Karnataka 2014: Manapuram V C Patmanabhan Award, Kerala 2014: Kala Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature, London 2014: Muttathu Varkey Award 2014: SBT Suvarna Mudra Award 2015: National Fellowship, IIAS, Shimla 2016: UAE International Award for Poets of Peace, Dubai, Government of UAE 2016: V. Aravindakshan Memorial Award for Total Contribution 2016: Kanhangad Kavyavedi Award for Poetry 2017: Kamala Surayya Award for Total Contribution 2017: Vengayil Kunhirman Nayanar Kesari Award for Total Contribution 2017: P. Govinda Pillai Award for Total Contribution to Society and Literature 2017. U R Ananthamurhy Awards for Total Literary Contribution 2017: Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2018: E K Divakaran Potti Memorial Award for Literary Translation 2018: ChiranatanaKalasamiti Award, Dubai, UAE 2019: Sahityolsav Award (Sunni Students Federation), Kerala 2019: Kavisamrat Upendra Bhanja National Award for poetry, Orissa 2019: Navamalayali Cultural Award, Kerala 2019: Kaliayachhan Poetry Award, Kerala 2019: Tata Literature Festival Poet Laureate Award, Bombay 2020: Mathrubhumi Literary Award 2021: ONV Award instituted by the University of Kerala 2023: Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Poetry Award, Jaipur
2026: Vishambhara C Narayana Reddy National Award, Hyderabad
Works in Malayalam Poetry
Anchu Sooryan (Five Suns, 1971) Aathmagita (The Song of the Self, 1974) Kavita (Poetry, 1977, 82, 84) Indian Sketchukal (Indian Sketches, 1978) Ezhuthachan Ezhutumbol (When the Poet Writes, 1979, 85, 87, 89) Peedana Kalam (Times of Torment, 1981, 89) Venal Mazha (The Summer Rain, 1982) Randu Deergha Kavyangal (Two Long Poems, 1983) Satchidanandante Kavithakal 1962–82 (Poems 1962–82, 1983,87) Socrateesum Kozhiyum (Socrates and the Cock, 1984) Ivanekkoodi (Him, too, 1987, 89, 90, 95, 97) Veedumattam (Changing House, 1988) Kayattam (The Ascent, 1990) Kavibuddhan (The Poet as Buddha, 1992) Enta Satchidanandan Kavitakal, Ed. Balachandran Chullikkad (Selected poems 1993) Desatanam (Going Places, 1994, 1995) Malayalam (1996, 1998, 2003)) Apoornam (Imperfect, 1998) Theranjedutha Kavitakal (Selected Poems, 1999) Sambhashanathinu Oru Sramam (An Attempt to Converse, 2000) Vikku, (Stammer, 2002) Sakshyangal (Witness, 2004) Ghazalukal, Geetangal (Ghazals and Geets, 2005) Satchidanandante Kavithakal (Poems 1965–2005, 2006) Anantam (Infinite, 2006) Onnaam Padham (The First Lesson, 2006) Ente Kavita (My Poems, 2008) Marannunacha Vasthukkal (Misplaced Objects, 2009) Bahuroopi (The Shape-shifter, 2011) Tathagatham(2013) Nilkkunna Manushyan (The Standing Man, 2015) Sachidanandante Kavithakal 1965–2015 (Poems, 2016) Samudrangalkku Matramalla (Not only the Oceans, 2017)
"Pakshikal ente Pirake Varunnu"(Birds Come afrter Me, 2018) "Pashuvum Puliyum" (The Cow and the Tiger, Poems for Children, 2019) "Pakshikkavitakal" (Bird Poems, Poems for Children, 2019) "Dukham enna Veedu (The House called Sorrow, 2020) "Oru Cheriya Vasantam" (A Small Spring", 2020)
Plays
Saktan Thampuran (One-act Plays, 1983) Gandhi (Full-length Play, 1995)
Prose
Kurukshetram (Studies in Modern Poetry, 1970) Janatayum Kavitayum ((Poetry and the People, 1982, 84) Marxian Soundarya Sastram (Marxian Aesthetics, 1983, 90) Thiranjedutha Lekhanangal (Selected Essays, 1985) Pablo Neruda (A Lecture on Pablo Neruda, 1985, 1990, Revised, 2007)) Samvadangal (Dialogues: on society, culture, politics, religion education, ecology and literature, 1986) Sameepananangal (Approaches, 1986) Samskarathinte Rashtreeyam (The Politics of Culture, 1989) Sambhashanangal (Conversations: a collection of Interviews given, 1989) Brechtinte Kala (The Art of Bertolt Brecht, 1989, Revised, 2007) Padavukal (Steps: Early articles, 1990) Kazhchakal, Kazhachappadukal (Sights and Visions: Travelogues, 1991) Anveshanangal (Enquiries, 1991) Veenduvicharangal (Rethinkings, 1992) Soundaryavum Adhikaravum (Beauty and Power: on Aesthetics and Politics, 1993) Muhurtangal (Moments, selected Essays on Malayalam Literature, 1996) Pala Lokam, Pala Kalam (Many Times, Many Worlds, Travel Writings, 1998) Kalayum Nishedhavum (Art and Dissent, 1999) Bharateeya Kavitayile Pratirodha Paramparyam (The Tradition of Dissent of Indian Poetry, 2002) Moonnu Yatra (Three Travels, Travelogues, 2004) Kizhakkum Padinjarum (East and West, Travelogues, 2005) Adithattukal (Foundations, Essays, 2006) Mukhamukham (Face to Face, Interviews, 2006) Darshanathinte Ritubhedangal (Seasons of Vision, Articles, 2010) Malayalakavitha Patanangal (Studies in Malayalam Poetry, 2009, 2011) Sahityavum Pratirodhavum (Literature and Resistance, Criticism, 2013) Anubhavam, Orma, Yatra ( Experience, Memory, Travel, Autobiographical Essays, 2013) Vithum Vrikshavum (The Seed and the Tree, Selected Essays on Literature, 2013) Varoo, Ee Theruvile Raktham Kaanoo (Come and See the Blood in the Streets, 2017) Kavithayude Lokangal (The Many Worlds of Poetry, Essays, and Columns on Poetry, 2018)
"Atmagatangal" (Monologues, Talks, 2018) "Dakshinam" (Travelogue, 2018) "Thiranjedutha Lkehanangal" (Selected Essays, 2018) "Chinthayude Mananagal" (The Dimensions of Thought, 2018) "Oru Pratisamskaarathinu Vendi"(For a Counter-Culture, 2020) "Anantaram" (Shortstories, 2020)
Poetry translations in other languages
Andha Admi Jisne Soorya Khoja (Selected Poems, Hindi, Delhi, 1987) Selected Poems (Gujarati, Ahmedabad 1989) Irachasakshigal (Selected Poems, Tamil, Coimbatore, 1990) Summer Rain: Three Decades of Poetry (English, Delhi, 1995) Voh Jise Sab Yad Tha (Selected Poems, Hindi, Delhi, 1996) Nanna Mai Nagara (Selected Poems, Kannada, Bangalore, 1996) How To Go To The Tao Temple (New Poems, English, Delhi, 1998) Sachidanandan Kavitaikal (Selected Poems, Tamil, Madras, 1998) Sareeram Oru Nagaram (Selected Poems, Tamil, Madras, 1999) Apoorna Aura Anya Kavitayem (Poems, Hindi, Delhi, 2000) Imperfect and Other New Poems (Poems, English, Calicut, 2000) Sagar Teerer Kavita (Poems, Assamese, Guwahati, 2001)